Duck and Olive Lasagne

In a large pot, heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Add your duck legs and brown on all sides. Once crisp and golden in colour, remove the duck from the pot and set aside.

Add another glug of olive oil if necessary (the duck will likely have rendered enough fat that you do not need to do so), before adding the onion and carrot. Sauté over a medium heat until softened, then add the garlic. Continue to fry until the mixture is fragrant, being careful not to burn anything.

Deglaze the pot with the white wine, ensuring to capture the delicious browning on the bottom of the pot, for a deeper, meatier sauce. Allow the alcohol to cook off, before adding your tomatoes, olives, chicken stock, rosemary, bay leaves and sugar. Stir this mixture, then add the duck legs, ensuring they are fully submerged in liquid.

After that time, remove the lid from the pot – the sauce should have reduced to a rich and thick ragu. Gently remove the duck legs from the mixture – by this point they should be fork-tender, so be careful to keep the meat on the bone when lifting from the pot. Once at a manageable temperature, remove the skin and gently pull the meat from the bone with a fork. Once all your duck meat is shredded, add it back to the sauce and stir on a low heat until well combined. Remove your bay leaves and rosemary, before tasting and seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary.

While your ragù is cooking, melt 60g butter in a saucepan, before adding an equal quantity of flour. Whisk until combined and cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes, until a roux is formed.

Remove from the heat and gradually add the milk, stirring continuously until thickened. Ensure to add only a splash of milk at a time, as adding too much will result in a lumpy béchamel. Season with nutmeg, salt and black pepper to taste, and set aside.

To assemble the lasagne, ladle a thin layer of ragù on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with a layer of lasagne sheets – don’t worry about overlapping sheets here. Follow this with another layer of ragù – be more generous this time; using the back of the spoon push it right to the edge. Follow with a layer of béchamel. Sprinkle over a generous handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Repeat these steps (pasta, ragù, béchamel, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese) to use up both sauces and pasta. There should be at least 5 layers of pasta and the top should be sprinkled with Parmigiano Reggiano.

Remove from the oven and leave to stand for at least 5 minutes. To serve, slice into equal-sized portions and finish with freshly shaved Parmigiano Reggiano. Buon appetito.